Our Mission

The Mission of the Institute is to provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write in order to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to national defense.

China's aircraft carrier program is making major waves well before the first ship has been completed. Undoubtedly, this development heralds a new era in Chinese national security policy. While the present volume presents substantial new insight on that particular question, its focus is decidedly broader in scope. Chinese Aerospace Power offers a comprehensive survey of Chinese aerospace developments, with a focus on areas of potential strategic significance previously unexplored in Western scholarship. The book also links these developments to the vast maritime battlespace of the Asia-Pacific region and highlights the consequent implications for the U.S. military, particularly the U.S. Navy.

Andrew S. Erickson is an associate professor inthe U.S. Naval War College’s Strategic Research Departmentand a founding member of its China Maritime Studies Institute (CMSI). He is an associate in research at Harvard University’s Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies and a fellow in the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations’ Public Intellectuals Program.

Lyle J. Goldstein is an associate professorinthe U.S. Naval War College’s Strategic Research Department and the founding director of the department’s CMSI. He is proficient in Chinese and Russian and has published widely in scholarly journals on China, Russia, Central Asia, and surface and undersea warfare.

The have co-edited several books including China, The United States and 21st Century Sea Power and China Goes To Sea.

“The editors have produced another key text in the literature on what is the main potential maritime conflict of the twenty-first century, a United States increasingly preoccupied with the Pacific and China, flexing its maritime muscles both in home and more distant waters. It is strongly recommended.”

— International Journal of Maritime History

"Chinese Aerospace Power is an outstanding and important book.”

— Marine Technology, April 2012

“The book is a comprehensive look at changes in Chinese air power from a maritime perspective… and anyone who is interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the rise of China would benefit from reading it.”

— Australian Defence Force Journal

“Erickson and Goldstein are uniquely positioned in their roles to edit and discuss such an important topic. Both are experts in the field of Chinese military technology and have written extensively on the subject. Professor Erickson is widely sought for his views on China’s military rise, naval technology, and possible US strategic responses to such challenges. Both are well suited to the challenge of editing such an important work. . . . This volume has numerous strengths. Its greatest contribution to existing literature is that it uses a great deal of open source Chinese based literature to add credence to the authors ideas. . . Erickson and Goldstein have created a volume that is balanced, dense in scope but still readable and enjoyable. Combined with the assemblage of a “who’s who” in Chinese security studies, the appeal of such a work is hard to deny. This volume should serve as the textbook to any security studies student who wishes to gain a scholarly perspective on China’s aerospace and military rise to power from a maritime perspective. It is a work I will keep close at hand for years to come.”

"China’s air and space development is an area of significant interest for the U.S. Navy. This book elucidates the critical linkage between China’s military aerospace and maritime capabilities. Whereas China’s rapid progress has already rendered many studies obsolete, this volume connects the latest ‘data point’ dots and puts them in strategic context. Navy leaders and planners should read it today."

"Absolutely the most important book on air and space power I’ve had the pleasure to read. The power of this detailed survey is doubled because it presents both an intelligent American analysis and an insightful view of the ‘Chinese perception’ of the situation. Our two nations have much in common, but the understanding this difference in perception is essential to our selection of our future alternatives. A must have book!"

—Col. Walter J. Boyne, USAF (Ret.), National Aviation Hall of Fame honoree and former director of the National Air and Space Museum, author of Beyond the Wild Blue: A History of the U.S. Air Force, 1947-2007

"An excellent and very readable overview of China’s impressive advances in almost every aspect of air and space operations. Not only have the Chinese developed impressive technical capabilities, but they have also given careful thought to the operational concepts associated with them. This is a must read for anyone with a concern for American or Chinese military affairs."

—Col. John A. Warden III, USAF (Ret.),Gulf War I planner, president of Venturist, Inc., author of The Air Campaign and Winning in Fast Time

"Erickson and Goldstein provide us with a comprehensive survey of China’s ongoing efforts to shift the military balance in the Western Pacific decisively in its favor through the development and application of aerospace power as it pertains to the maritime competition. Drawing upon primary research and Chinese sources, this volume will be valuable and timely for those with an interest in this issue of growing geostrategic importance."

—Dr. Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr., President of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, author of 7 Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist Explores the Changing Face of War in the 21st Century

"Arrives on the scene as the United States is facing declining resources for defense while China is realizing rapid expansion of its military capabilities in the aerospace and maritime domains. Andrew Erickson and Lyle Goldstein yield timely insight into how these two trends are evolving in these arenas. Resolving the security objectives of the United States and China in the Pacific—and around the world—requires that policymakers and military strategists understand the reality of Chinese military capability, experiences, and perspectives. This work provides that insight and is a must read as Chinese aerospace development is significantly altering the character of the military and political balance in the Pacific."

—Lt. General David A. Deptula, USAF (Ret.), former USAF Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance

"Serves well as an introduction to advances in Chinese maritime aerospace technology, and will also reward experts looking for the latest update on these evolving capabilities. Many readers will be surprised by the extent of Chinese progress described by the contributors to this work. They detail the strategic and technical issues that are shaping the Chinese military establishment as it looks beyond the country’s shores, and examine how it will develop in coming years and decades."